Optical Phonon Decay and Improved Thermoelectric Efficiency in p-Type MgSb.

The MgSb-based layered compounds exhibit exceptional thermoelectric properties over a wide temperature range and possess the potential to supplant traditional BiTe modules with reliable and economical MgSb-based thermoelectric devices, contingent upon the availability of a complementary p-type MgSb material with high thermoelectric efficiency comparable to that of n-type MgSb. We provide a simpler method involving the codoping of monovalent atoms (K and Na) at the Mg site of the MgSb lattice to improve the thermoelectric performance of p-type MgSb. K-Na codoping results in a peak power factor of around 0.

Adaptive Behaviors, Esophageal Anxiety and Hypervigilance Modify the Association Between Dysphagia Perception and Histological Disease Activity in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Background Aims: Esophageal symptom-specific anxiety, hypervigilance, and adaptive behaviors at mealtime may affect dysphagia reporting in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) but this has not been investigated. Moreover, the relationship between such confounding factors and histological disease activity (HDA) is unclear.

Methods: This was a prospective study on adults with EoE.

Peony diagram modeling for improving the easy disassembly design of mobile electronic products.

Designing mobile electronic products for easy disassembly is crucial for promoting resource recycling. However, many current approaches overlook the need to consider the disassembly of parts from the perspective of the overall product structure and practical recycling requirements, leading to potentially suboptimal or unnecessary optimization strategies. This study introduces a novel visual disassembly information model called the "Peony Diagram.

Rapid High-Sensitivity Analysis of Methane Clumped Isotopes (ΔCHD and ΔCHD) Using Mid-Infrared Laser Spectroscopy.

Mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy enables rapid and nondestructive analysis of methane clumped isotopes. However, current analytical methods require a sample size of 20 mL STP (0.82 mmol) of pure CH gas, which significantly limits its application to natural samples.

Accurate colorectal cancer detection using a random hinge exponential distribution coupled attention network on pathological images.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer worldwide, necessitating accurate and early detection to improve treatment outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods often rely on manual examination of pathological images, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error. This study presents an advanced approach for colorectal cancer detection using a Random Hinge Exponential Distribution coupled Attention Network (RHED-CANet) on pathological images.

Impact of physiological ionic strength and crowding on kinesin-1 motility.

The motility of biological molecular motors has typically been analyzed by in vitro reconstitution systems using motors isolated and purified from organs or expressed in cultured cells. The behavior of biomolecular motors within cells has frequently been reported to be inconsistent with that observed in reconstituted systems in vitro. Although this discrepancy has been attributed to differences in ionic strength and intracellular crowding, understanding how such parameters affect the motility of motors remains challenging.

Performance Evaluation of University-Based Scientific Research Institutions With a Non-Independent Parallel System.

Performance management in university-based scientific research institutions is essential for driving reform, advancing education quality, and fostering innovation. However, current performance evaluation models often focus solely on research indicators, neglecting the critical interdependence between the education and research systems. This oversight leads to inefficiencies in resource allocation and an underestimation of overall institutional performance, particularly in universities with varying development levels.

Paired nerve stimulation with selective compensation effect.

Background: In this study we investigate the selective compensation of paired peripheral nerves in healthy humans, focusing on distinct axonal conduction velocities in different fibre types. Using paired associative stimulation (PAS) with adjustable parameters, we aimed to modulate and compensate for neuronal activity along the median nerve.

Methods: Six healthy volunteers (3 male, 3 female, aged: 22-49) participated in the current study.

Wavefront-aberration-tolerant diffractive deep neural networks using volume holographic optical elements.

As the demand for computational performance in artificial intelligence (AI) continues to increase, diffractive deep neural networks (DNNs), which can perform AI computing at the speed of light by repeated optical modulation with diffractive optical elements (DOEs), are attracting attention. DOEs are varied in terms of fabrication methods and materials, and among them, volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) have unique features such as high selectivity and multiplex recordability for wavelength and angle. However, when those are used for DNNs, they suffer from unknown wavefront aberrations compounded by multiple fabrication errors.

Fractal Analysis of Electrodermal Activity for Emotion Recognition: A Novel Approach Using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis and Wavelet Entropy.

The field of emotion recognition from physiological signals is a growing area of research with significant implications for both mental health monitoring and human-computer interaction. This study introduces a novel approach to detecting emotional states based on fractal analysis of electrodermal activity (EDA) signals. We employed detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), Hurst exponent estimation, and wavelet entropy calculation to extract fractal features from EDA signals obtained from the CASE dataset, which contains physiological recordings and continuous emotion annotations from 30 participants.

A Novel MZI Fiber Sensor with Enhanced Curvature and Strain Sensitivity Based on Four-Core Fiber.

We present a high-sensitivity curvature and strain Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) fiber sensor based on a configuration of no-core fiber (NCF) and four-core fiber (FCF). We used an optical fiber fusion splicer to directly splice a segment of FCF between two segments of NCF, with both the FCF and NCF made of SiO, where the FCF exhibits multi-path interference characteristics that allow for higher sensitivity. The NCF, with its self-focusing property, excites higher-order modes, which split and transmit it into the four cores of the FCF.

Inflammaging Markers in the Extremely Cold Climate: A Case Study of Yakutian Population.

Yakutia is one of the coldest permanently inhabited regions in the world, characterized by a subarctic climate with average January temperatures near -40 °C and the minimum below -60 °C. Recently, we demonstrated accelerated epigenetic aging of the Yakutian population in comparison to their Central Russian counterparts, residing in a considerably milder climate. In this paper, we analyzed these cohorts from the inflammaging perspective and addressed two hypotheses: a mismatch in the immunological profiles and accelerated inflammatory aging in Yakuts.

Application of the Health Belief Model (HBM) to Explore the Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Education in Sri Lanka.

Many countries, including Sri Lanka, are taking steps to integrate sex education into their educational systems to combat child abuse. However, this effort is often met with skepticism in Asian nations, including Sri Lanka. This study takes a unique approach by applying the criteria of the health belief model to predict the quality of reproductive health (SRH) education in Sri Lanka, offering a fresh perspective on this issue.

Infinite-Dimensional Quantum Entropy: The Unified Entropy Case.

Infinite-dimensional systems play an important role in the continuous-variable quantum computation model, which can compete with a more standard approach based on qubit and quantum circuit computation models. But, in many cases, the value of entropy unfortunately cannot be easily computed for states originating from an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Therefore, in this article, the unified quantum entropy (which extends the standard von Neumann entropy) notion is extended to the case of infinite-dimensional systems by using the Fredholm determinant theory.

Influence of Explanatory Variable Distributions on the Behavior of the Impurity Measures Used in Classification Tree Learning.

The primary objective of our study is to analyze how the nature of explanatory variables influences the values and behavior of impurity measures, including the Shannon, Rényi, Tsallis, Sharma-Mittal, Sharma-Taneja, and Kapur entropies. Our analysis aims to use these measures in the interactive learning of decision trees, particularly in the tie-breaking situations where an expert needs to make a decision. We simulate the values of explanatory variables from various probability distributions in order to consider a wide range of variability and properties.

A Structural Proteomics Exploration of Synphilin-1 and Alpha-Synuclein Interaction in Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease.

Pathological significance of interaction of Synphilin-1 with mutated alpha-synuclein is well known to have serious consequences in causing the formation of inclusion bodies that are linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). Information extracted so far pointed out that specific mutations, A53T, A30P, and E46K, in alpha-synuclein promote such interactions. However, a detailed structural study of this interaction is pending due to the unavailability of the complete structures of the large protein Synphilin-1 of chain length 919 residues and the mutated alpha-synuclein having all the reported specific mutations so far.

High-Intensity Continuous Light from Red-Blue Light-Emitting Diodes Improved Yield, Nutritional Quality and Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in Two Leaf-Color Lettuces.

In an environmentally controlled plant factory with LED red-blue light, the effects of conventional light (4R:1B, 200 μmol·m·s, 18/6 h) and continuous light (CL, 24/0 h) with three light intensities (4R:1B, 200, 300 and 400 μmol·m·s, 24/0 h) on yield, nutritional quality, reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) in green-leaf Yidali and purple-leaf Zishan lettuces were investigated. The results showed that the dry and fresh shoot weight of two lettuces exposed to CL tended to increase with light intensity-from 200 to 400 μmol·m·s-compared to conventional light, while the leaf area tended to decrease or remained unchanged. High-intensity CL could significantly increase soluble sugar and reduce the nitrate contents of the two lettuces.

Vitiligo detection capabilities of 1D photonic crystal biosensing design.

This theoretical work focuses on the application of Tamm resonance-based biosensing using a one-dimensional photonic crystal for detecting skin vitiligo, a condition caused by the loss of pigment in the body. This biosensor utilizes the interaction of light with the photonic structure to identify the specific biomarkers associated with vitiligo. The proposed structure is composed of prism/Ag/skin-sample/(GaP/PS)/glass.

Hierarchical representations of relative numerical magnitudes in the human frontoparietal cortex.

The ability to estimate numerical magnitude is essential for decision-making and is thought to underlie arithmetic skills. In humans, neural populations in the frontoparietal regions are tuned to represent numerosity. However, it remains unclear whether their response properties are fixed to a specific numerosity (i.

Acute Kidney Injury Prognosis Prediction Using Machine Learning Methods: A Systematic Review.

Rationale & Objective: Accurate estimation of in-hospital outcomes for patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is crucial for aiding physicians in making optimal clinical decisions. We aimed to review prediction models constructed by machine learning methods for predicting AKI prognosis using administrative databases.

Study Design: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.

Structural and Functional Insights into UDGs.

Endogenous or exogenous DNA damage needs to be repaired, therefore, cells in all the three domains have repair pathways to maintain the integrity of their genetic material. Uracil DNA glycosylases (UDGs), also known as UNGs (uracil-DNA N-glycosylases), are part of the base-excision repair (BER) pathway. These enzymes specifically remove uracil from DNA molecules by cleaving the glycosidic bond between the uracil base and the deoxyribose sugar.

The anti-MRSA resource: a comprehensive archive of anti-MRSA peptides and essential oils.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA), a major cause of fatalities due to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), can act as an opportunistic pathogen despite being part of the normal human flora. MRSA infections, such as skin infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and surgical site infections, have risen significantly, with bloodstream infection cases increasing from 21% in 2016 to 35% in 2020. This surge has prompted research into alternative treatments like nanomaterials, photodynamic therapy, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and essential oils (EOs).

Quantification of L-lactic acid in human plasma samples using Ni-based electrodes and machine learning approach.

This work presents a robust strategy for quantifying overlapping electrochemical signatures originating from complex mixtures and real human plasma samples using nickel-based electrochemical sensors and machine learning (ML). This strategy enables the detection of a panel of analytes without being limited by the selectivity of the transducer material and leaving accommodation of interference analysis to ML models. Here, we fabricated a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for L-lactic acid detection in complex mixtures and human plasma samples using nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticle-modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE).

Exploration of rutin derivatives as potential inhibitors of prostate cancer signaling pathways: A comprehensive in-silico study.

Prostate cancer is a widespread health issue that affects men worldwide. It is one of the most common forms of cancer, and its development is influenced by a combination of hereditary, epigenetic, environmental, age, and lifestyle factors. Given that it is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men, it is crucial to comprehend its complex facets.

A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Opioid Dispensing Competencies in Final-Year Pharm-D Students: A Multicenter Study from Punjab, Pakistan.

Background: The opioid crisis continues to be a public health concern worldwide due to the high rates of misuse and associated mortality. Opioid dispensing competencies are critical for pharmacy graduates to promote the rational use of opioids.

Purpose: To evaluate the opioids dispensing competencies among the final year Pharm-D students in Punjab, Pakistan.